tyranny of the Romans, revolted, garrisoned
Jerusalem, and defeated a Roman army sent against them. This was the
beginning of the disastrous war which ended with the destruction of the
city. It was taken by Titus, in the year 70, after a long siege, all the
inhabitants were massacred, or made prisoners, and the entire city left
a heap of ruins. The Emperor Hadrian built on the site of Jerusalem a
Roman city, under the name of Elia Capitolina, with a temple of Jupiter,
and Jews were forbidden to enter the city under pain of death. Under
Constantine it was made a place of pilgrimage for Christians, as the
Emperor's mother, Helena, had with much pains located the various sites
of events in the history of Christ. The Emperor Julian, on the contrary,
not only allowed the Jews to return to their city, but also made an
attempt, which ended in failure, to rebuild their temple. In 614 the
Persian Emperor Chosroes invaded the Roman empire. The Jews joined his
army, and after conquering the northern part of Palestine, the united
forces laid siege to and took Jerusalem. The Jews wreaked vengeance on
the Christians for what they had been forced to endure, and 20,000
people were massacred. The Persians held rule in the city for fourteen
years; it was then taken by the Romans again, but in 636 the Caliph Omar
beseiged it. After four months the city capitulated. It was under the
rule of the Caliphs for 400 years, until the Seljuk Turks in 1077
invaded Syria and made it a province of their empire. Christian pilgrims
had for many years kept up the practice of visiting the tomb of Christ,
as the Caliphs did not interfere with their devotions any further than
by exacting a small tribute from each visitor. But the cruelties
practiced upon the pilgrims by the Turks were many, and report of them
soon roused all Europe to a pitch of indignation, and brought about that
series of holy wars, which for a time restored the holy sepulcher into
Christian hands. Jerusalem was stormed and taken July 15, 1099, and
50,000 Moslems were slaughtered by their wrathful Christian foes. The
new sovereignty was precariously maintained until 1187, when it fell
before the power of Saladin. Jerusalem, after a siege of twelve days,
surrendered. Saladin, however, did not put his captives to death, but
contented himself with expelling them from the city. Jerusalem passed
into the hands of the Franks by treaty, in 1229, was retaken by the
Moslems in 1239, once more rest